Dark City (1998)

Rufus Sewell: John Murdoch

Photos 

Quotes 

• John Murdoch : When was the last time you remember doing something during the day?

  Inspector Frank Bumstead : What do you mean?

  John Murdoch : I just mean during the day. Daylight. When was the last time you remember seeing it? And I'm not talking about some distant, half-forgotten childhood memory, I mean like yesterday. Last week. Can you come up with a single memory? You can't, can you? You know something, I don't think the sun even... exists... in this place. 'Cause I've been up for hours, and hours, and hours, and the night never ends here.

• John Murdoch : I know this is gonna sound crazy, but what if we never knew each other before now... and everything you remember, and everything that I'm supposed to remember, never really happened, someone just wants us to think it did?

  Emma Murdoch : But how can that be true? I so vividly remember meeting you. I remember falling in love with you. I remember losing you.

  Emma Murdoch : I love you John, you can't fake something like that.

  John Murdoch : No, you can't.

• Mr. Hand : But I wanted to know what it was like... how you feel.

  John Murdoch : You know how I was supposed to feel. That person isn't me... never was. You wanted to know what it was about us that made us human. Well, you're not going to find it...

  [Murdoch points at his head] 

  John Murdoch : ...in here. You were looking in the wrong place.

• John Murdoch : Here, let me ask you a question. You heard of a place called Shell Beach?

  Inspector Frank Bumstead : Sure.

  John Murdoch : Do you know how to get there?

  Inspector Frank Bumstead : Yeah.

  John Murdoch : Tell me.

  Inspector Frank Bumstead : Right. You just... you go to the...

  John Murdoch : Where? Where do you go?

  Inspector Frank Bumstead : Just give me a second, will you...

  John Murdoch : You can't remember, can you?

• John Murdoch : Excuse me. How do I get to the end of the line?

  Train Passenger : You want the Express.

  John Murdoch : [after train blows by him]  Hey, how come that train didn't stop?

  Station Master : That's the Express.

• Mr. Hand : [stomps on a newspaper clipping]  So it seems you discovered your unpleasant nature.

  John Murdoch : Who are you?

  Mr. Hand : We might ask the same question, yes? Sleep... now.

• [last lines] 

  Emma Murdoch : I'm Anna, by the way. What's your name?

  John Murdoch : John. John Murdoch.

• [Murdoch opens the door to what should be Shell Beach and instead sees the same sign he saw earlier advertising it. Murdoch walks up to the sign, confused] 

  Dr. Schreber : There is no ocean, John. There is nothing beyond the city. The only place home exists... is in your head.

  [Chuckles a bit at the irony] 

  Dr. Schreber : [Murdoch and Inspector Bumstead tear the sign from the wall, exposing bricks. They then begin to hammer at the bricks with pickaxes] 

  Dr. Schreber : No! No! John, stop! No! Stop! Please! No!

  [Bumstead and Murdoch reach a soft spot in the bricks and begin to pry at it. John, frustrated, uses his tuning to push away the brick wall. What results is the bricks falling away exposing space, almost sucking Bumstead out and showing the bricks crashing against the ship's newly exposed forcefield. Murdoch and Bumstead stand there, stunned. Meanwhile, a group of aliens walks in from behind them] 

  John Murdoch : What?

  Mr. Hand : And now you know the truth.

  [Fight ensues] 

• John Murdoch : I was just thinking, what you do seems kind of dangerous right now. I mean, how do you know I'm not the killer?

  May : I don't. Why, you feeling any urges I should know about?

• John Murdoch : Hey, do you know the way to Shell Beach?

  Taxi Driver : You're kidding! Me and the Mrs. spent our honeymoon there. All you gotta do is take Main Street West to... or is it the Cross... You know, that's funny, I can't remember if it's Main Street West or the Crosstown.

• Walenski : There's no way out of the city. Believe me, I've tried. You're Murdock, aren't you?

  John Murdoch : Who are you?

  Walenski : Used to be a cop, at least in this life I was. They steal people's memories every night they change the city, back-and-forth, back-and-forth... 'till nobody knows who they are anymore.

  John Murdoch : How do you know all this?

  Walenski : Once in a while someone wakes up while their changing things; it's not supposed to happen, but it does. They'll come looking for you Murdock, just like they've come looking for me. But that's okay, I've figured a way out.

  [Train's horn blares as it come through station. Walenski jumps in front of the train]